obèse

obese

adjective oh-BEHZ Rare

Origin: From Latin obesus, 'having eaten until fat'.

Usage Note

Obèse is a clinical adjective describing severe overweight as defined by body-mass index, and is also used as a noun (un obèse, une obèse). It is more medical and blunt than gros/grosse (fat) but less harsh in register than English 'obese' might seem. The related noun obésité (obesity) is common in public-health discourse.

Examples

"Le médecin considère ce patient comme obèse."

Natural Translation

The doctor considers this patient obese.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

FrenchNow

French Silent Letters: The CaReFuL Rule

Final consonants in French are silent by default — except C, R, F, L. The CaReFuL rule, the silent -e, the plural-s trap, and liaison, explained simply.

June 4, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

Le, La, Un, Du: French Articles Made Simple

Le, la, un, du, des made simple: pick the French article family by meaning, the form by gender, and dodge the two mistakes English speakers always make.

June 4, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

Aller + Infinitive: The Easy French Future

Form the French near future in seconds: conjugate aller in the present and add an infinitive. Learn futur proche rules, negation, pronouns, and when to use it.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

Faire in French: To Make, To Do, and More

Faire in French means more than make and do: master faire vs rendre, weather and sports idioms, the causative, and the mistakes English speakers make.

June 4, 2026 6 min read